2010
Accompanied by the publication Wastelands. “The photographs in this ongoing series take the notion of wastelands as a jumping off point to discuss European land occupation in early Aotearoa, New Zealand. Settlers and in other instances soldiers returning from the First World War were offered parcels of hinterland for purchase, some of these were extremely isolated, unproductive (in terms of western farming practices) and in some cases downright deadly. They held in their promise for a future the inherent possibility of failure. a ride in the darkness looks at the social context of this particular use of land and takes this contested ground as a jumping of point for a discussion of these narratives in context. Towns like Arawhata, Mangapurua and Martins Bay are extreme examples of this attempt to tame lands that are isolated and extremely difficult to access…”
–Artist’s statement
